


When You Were

by sorasan0000



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Gen, Original Character(s), time swap
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-18
Updated: 2015-10-15
Packaged: 2018-04-21 07:25:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4820465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sorasan0000/pseuds/sorasan0000
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ju-doh wakes up in a familiar, yet unfamiliar place. He sees people that know him calling him a general, but he definitely doesn't know them and he most certainly isn't a general. Ju-doh wants to piece together what happened before he woke up, and a young man who claims to be the younger brother of Lord Yuhon's wife seems willing to help him along.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wrong Castle

**Author's Note:**

> \- Written when ch.112 was the latest chapter.  
> \- Ju-doh centric fic.

The sunlight blared in his eyes as the darkness grew brighter, bringing Ju-doh out of his dizziness and rendering him capable of sitting up on his own. He looked to the side, realizing he had previously been sprawled on the dusty ground and pat his clothing down as he stood up. The first thing he checked were the twin blades he kept on hand when he was off duty. They were securely strapped to his sides, so whatever had attacked him had not been seeking to disarm him.

He skimmed his surroundings and recognized them as a training ground. He couldn’t say which one, but the rooftops in the distance were the ones he definitely recognized as Hiryuu Castle’s. He didn’t recall new training grounds being created in recent memory, however.

“You, soldier!”

Ju-doh acted on instinct and immediately grabbed the hilts of his swords, swiftly turning around to face the man who called out to him.

“Wait, it’s just you?” An audible sigh of relief blew from his mouth.

Ju-doh loosened his grip but kept himself on alert. He didn’t recognize this person as someone who worked at the castle, so he had to be a regular soldier who happened to know his face. In the near distance, he could hear a crowd of young men entering and setting up for what he presumed to be a daily drill.

“Was there something else you needed to see to on their drill today, Sir?” the same man inquired.

Ju-doh raised an eyebrow in confusion and shook his head. “Why would I do that?”

The corner of the man’s mouth twitched as he slumped over and sighed a grunt. “You know,” he said as he tapped the tip of his foot on the ground, “you’re the leader of these men, not a bodyguard.”

“I would describe myself as both, Soldier.” Pressure was building within Ju-doh’s chest. His confusion was quickly being mixed with irritation. He knew something was off, and perhaps he had hit his head. In any case, he felt it best to stand back and observe some more. He was a leader of men, yes, but not of these soldiers in training.

“By the way, did you get some good sleep last night? You look better than ever.” The man chuckled and walked past him, shouting for the soldiers to assemble and line up.

As captain of the royal guard, Hiryuu Castle was his domain, and that was how he wanted it to be for a long while to come. He had aspirations to be the Sky general one day, but that was far out of his reach as long as Lord Yuhon was alive and strong. He still had years to prove himself not just in might, but in leadership as well. One day, he dreamt. One day he would be worthy of training these men, this man’s jests aside.

“Where is Lord Yuhon? He should be the one overseeing them, shouldn’t he?” Ju-doh couldn’t help but ask once the mighty general and prince floated to the front of his mind.

The man paused in his footsteps and looked back at him perplexed. He quickly paced right back in front of him and put his hand against his forehead.

“Are you sick, Sir?”

Ju-doh grunted and shoved the hand away, beginning a forceful stride through the lined up soldiers and heading for the exit they had entered through. He could hear soft murmuring among the trainees, as well as the man quickly following after him, urging him to go rest if he wasn’t going to go see a doctor.

“I’ll even tell His Majesty you won’t be open for missions for the next while. You’re acting really off, Ge—“

“Now if you will _excuse_ me!” Ju-doh shouted as he stomped through the doorway.

“Men,” the man bellowed, “follow the schedule that was set for you yesterday. No slacking off!” With that, he persistently followed Ju-doh as he made haste for Hiryuu Castle.

 

+++++++++++++++++

 

He hadn’t tried fighting off the man as he made his way up the staircase and onto the castle grounds. However, once he got there, he was greeted by a whole slew of people he didn’t recognize. To make matters worse for him, they were all addressing him by “General Ju-doh”.

A young woman, a lady-in-waiting he presumed, nervously smiled and pointed out his clothing. “Isn’t that the uniform of the first squad’s captain?”

The man accompanying him chirped in. “Yes, he’s reliving some good old times. You know, when he was a captain himself.”

“Oh my, I had no idea, General Ju-doh, Sir.”

She timidly covered her mouth behind her elegant sleeves and pranced away before he could open his mouth in protest.

Ju-doh stood dumbfounded. “’Reliving some good old times’? What the hell are you talking about?!”

“Now, ‘Captain’, I want you to meet someone. If you’ll come this way.”

Ju-doh marched in the opposite direction, ignoring the man’s suggestion. Trying to pay no mind to the looks of confusion and amusement of people he passed, he made his way to his office room. It was the one place he felt he could regain order and perhaps gather his thoughts.

Except the office looked completely different from his own once he entered. What organized drawers and cabinets he had structured before were left in shambles. Papers were scattered on the ground along with wrinkled trash. The candle wick of his desk lamp was melted more than halfway, creating a mess below. Plus, another individual sat at the table. He wore the same uniform, but this man was much older and kept a more leisurely appearance, too.

“Who the hell are you?” he growled.

“Ah, General. It’s been a while. You look…healthy. Have you been getting some good rest?” The man stood and scanned the man before him, who was now trembling in anger and uneasiness.

“Get out of my office!”

The man flinched back and raised an eyebrow, tilting his head. He spotted the soldier behind Ju-doh, who was silently pointing, gesturing, shaking his head, and clenching his fists. He nodded and folded his arms, standing his ground.

“You have your own office. It’s much bigger and better staffed than mine. You seem to be a bit confused, am I right?” he asked as he leaned to the side to look at the soldier again, who nodded in agreement.

Ju-doh stepped in and stood tall, glaring the older man down. Several passersby had slowed down or stopped to see the commotion and were quietly whispering amongst themselves. It grated on Ju-doh’s nerves severely. He came to a training location he was unaware of, to a castle with unknown faces, and to an office that was apparently no longer his. He snorted outward and stomped right back out, ignoring the soldier’s plea to get him to rest and the gradually worried looks of the servants and guards he passed. Not a single one of those guards were recognizable, and his irritation very quickly swerved into dread.

_Where is my Hiryuu Castle?_

The older man from his office suddenly grabbed his arms from behind, causing immediate resistance and struggle from Ju-doh, who was on the verge of panicking.

“Where am I?! Who are you people?! This isn’t Hiryuu Castle, is it?! Lord Yuhon! His Majesty Il! Where-”

_WHAP!_

Ju-doh’s mind went blank. He quickly lost focus as his knees collapsed under himself and he couldn’t keep his head up anymore. As he was gently placed on the ground, he could see someone in long white and purple robes hurriedly coming to his side. He swore he heard them call his name, but everything around him was becoming dark and unclear.

_Your Highness Lord Yuhon._

_Your Majesty Il._

_…_

_Lord Suwon._

_Princess Yona._

_Where are you?_


	2. Won

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Here, have a bun, Captain Ju-doh.”

A chipper older man, though fatigue detected through his tone, brought himself to the stern captain’s attention.

“I have already eaten, Your Majesty,” he said, eyeing the bun suspiciously.

Only a week had passed since the man’s coronation ceremony, and while he was skeptical of his capabilities as a king, he was intrigued about what his reign would bring. His Highness Yuhon had proven through both battle and governing the northwest that he was capable. It was a puzzle he wanted to observe a little longer before deciding whether King Junam was a genius or a fool, though he leaned in favor of the former.

Putting the bun back into his sleeve, the new king smiled and heaved an exhausted sigh. His eyes drooped and sank before he shook his head and slapped the sides of his stomach. “Well, I wish you the best for the rest of the day then! I’ll be up long into the night for the next two weeks or so. My wife and daughter say they miss me already.” He chuckled softly and yawned, waving a farewell before turning heel.

His Majesty Il was not a man of battle valor. He was the kindest grown man Ju-doh knew to date, and the thought of him wielding a sword made him want to laugh. Though he lacked such prowess, there was something else that drew him and others in. He never took offense or shame when people murmured of his weakness. He was a man who always held his head high and took pride in his heritage and political positon.  

Witnessing the man stop a room filled with brawling soldiers with a powerful, booming voice of reason without so much as lifting a finger was Ju-doh’s most prominent memory of him. Being young and just 20-years old back then, it was the defining moment of Ju-doh’s reason for having hope in this new king in the present. Violence wasn’t his answer, and the art of persuasion and negotiation were his specialties.

If His Majesty Il could manage to achieve that for all of Kouka, being a man of action through negotiation rather than a warrior king, he would be glad to work for this king, as strange as he was with steam buns of all things. He would hone his skills as a leader and be ready just in case something happened to High Highness Yuhon, and if he wanted to serve as the Sky general down the road, he would challenge him boldly for status of the Sky’s strongest warrior.

After he defeated Geun-Tae, of course.

_I am a man of simple pleasures. Straightforward and impatient as I am, I don’t pride myself in being the deepest of men.  As long as the people I’m willing to serve are doing their jobs, I will give my all for them._

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

A dim candle lamp flickered next to his bedding. The first notable thing Ju-doh noticed as his eyes came into focus was a plate of wrinkly brown apple slices to his left. He popped one into his mouth, his tongue recoiling as the soggy and sour flavor hit his taste buds. He swallowed and sat up, wincing from the pain throbbing from his neck. He remembered panicking and then being hit by someone or something from behind.

Slowly looking around, he noticed that he was in Hiryuu Castle’s sick bay.  He could hear voices in the distance that were, again, unfamiliar. Incomprehensible at first, he stilled his breathing for complete silence to try and pick up on what they were saying.

“…st for a minute.”

“…r Maj…”

“…ing, I’ll go back, cal…”

He couldn’t hear them. He bent his knees to stand up but straightened out and plopped right back down as soon as he heard a pair of footsteps coming towards the door, wincing as the pain in his neck grew worse. Pretending to be asleep, he barely kept his eyes open to see who it was that entered the room. The person wore something light with dark robes, and their hair was loosely worn over their shoulder as far as he could see in the dim room.

As the person came closer and more into the light that the lamp and dusk-lit windows provided, Ju-doh gasped and shot up.

“Lady Yong-Hi? What are…”

The person tilted their head as they kneeled and sat beside him. “Lady Yong-Hi?”

“You shouldn’t be in the sick bay,” he whispered worriedly.

The person softly laughed and cleared their throat. “Captain Ju-doh, my name is Won. You have me confused with my sister. I’m her brother.”

Ju-doh grabbed the lamp and held it closer between him and this Won person. His hair seemed to be the same color, his skin seemed as light as hers, and even his hair style was an exact copy.

“Captain-” Won whispered, “-you suffered a head injury two days ago. You woke up just this morning after wandering from your bed. The soldiers found you, but you were still in a state of confusion.” With that, Won clamped down and started peeling a fresh apple.

Ju-doh sighed and stared at the ceiling. Even his voice sounded like Lady Yong-Hi’s. The only thing different about them was their height, he had to admit. He was also broader in stature, and his eyes were a different color. Graceful hands and fingers curled and bent as the apple was peeled and cut. All the while, Won hummed a familiar tune and smiled.

“I hope you aren’t feeling too sick to eat this. You must be starving.”

Ju-doh didn’t comment back. He was lost in Won’s explanation, and the fact he had never heard of Lady Yong-Hi having siblings plunged him even deeper. He rubbed his eyes and sighed, causing Won to put his hand on his forehead. Glancing up, he could see a gentle smile spread across their face.

“You really look like her, you know.”

Won’s eyebrows tightened and folded, his smile perking at the edges.

“How are His Majesty Il and Princess Yona? The empress was assassinated not too long ago, and…” Ju-doh trailed off. The events following that night were hectic to say the very least. Shouts and screams, blames back and forth among castle guards, the former first captain taking his leave, and mourning permeated throughout Hiryuu Castle after the incident. It was the incident that led to him being appointed from the captain of the intermediary squad to the captain of the imperial squad in the first place, and he vowed to never let that happen to His Majesty Il again.

“…There was a threat,” Won replied. “General Yuhon convinced King Il to go into hiding with Princess Yona in an undisclosed location. I offered to be the king’s proxy.” Won took one of the old soggy apple slices and ate one, puckering his mouth as he finished explaining. “General Yuhon is currently in pursuit of the threat.”

Ju-doh furrowed his eyebrows and tightened his lips before pressing further. “Did it have anything to do with what attacked me?”

“You were attacked?” Won paused as he reached for another soggy slice.

“Yes. There was someone peering from around the corner and I couldn’t see them. When I chased them down, I was hit with something dark.” Ju-doh realized just how absurd it sounded, but it was exactly as he remembered it.

Won hummed as if in deeper thought. “Do you remember what the person looked like?”

Ju-doh tried to give a straight answer, but the truth was that he couldn’t. It was rainy and dim, and the person used that to their advantage.

 _Dammit_ -, he cursed, _-I can’t be this incompetent!_

Won hiccuped loudly, causing an awkward silence before soft chuckling broke out. Ju-doh was most displeased.

“As proxy king, you are taking this seriously, right?” he questioned.

Won nodded.

 “I expect that man who was pretending to have my job to be dismissed by the time I start again,” he growled.

Won laughed and assured him it would be done.

 “I don’t remember the training grounds where I woke up.” Ju-doh quickly added.

“They were built two months ago. You don’t remember?”

Ju-doh sighed and rolled over. “I’m sorry for the disruption I caused,” he murmured.

Won shifted his hand and lingered it above Ju-doh’s head. He waited to see what was behind the gesture, but the hand was pulled back and nothing came from it.

“Thank you for the lead. Have a good rest and recovery, Captain,” he said as he stood.

Before he completely left the room, Ju-doh had one final curiosity.

“How is Lady Yong-Hi doing?”

Won stood still and took a few seconds before answering.

“She’s resting well.”

As Won took his leave, Ju-doh reeled through the events he remembered, such as the castle folk calling him a general and wondering what that one soldier meant by “missions”. There were so many things he wanted to clarify with Won, but it was late and he probably dismissed himself because he was tired. As impatient of a man as he was, he didn't trust himself completely with allegations of amnesia and injury. It probably was for the best to get rest first. 

He drifted into a sluggish, sleepless stupor. He couldn’t admit that he trusted the situation completely, but it was all he had as a lead to what happened. If at the end of it all, His Majesty Il and Princess Yona were safe, it would all be fine. 


End file.
